Father & Son Stuck in Roller Coaster Loop

Riders Stuck in Roller Coaster Loop at Zibo Yudaihu Lake Zoology Garden
Yesterday, ScreamScape reported on a story of an unusual roller coaster accident in China. Earlier this week, a father and a son were stuck in the vertical loop of a shuttle loop coaster some 15 meters (50 feet) above the ground. The usual rescue efforts were scrapped after fire fighters had trouble setting up their equipment due to wet soil. Eventually, the train was pulled down manually by rescuers pulling on ropes.

Maybe I’m oblivious, but I haven’t seen too many stories where a roller coaster got stuck in a loop. I figured in almost all cases a train might valley (run out of momentum) at some other part of a ride’s layout, but not in an actual loop. Here, it might have had something to do with the fact that it was a shuttle coaster that didn’t generate enough speed to make the loop. Since the father and the son were the only riders, maybe the train was a bit lighter than it needed to be. I guess I can stop snickering when I hear people in ride queues talk of how scary it would be get stuck upside-down.

What’s Your Take?
What do you think of this accident? Leave a comment below.